Joint venture company, Cavern Hotel and Resorts is created

Fortress Palace style hotel to be built at Al Furjan

Dubai, 27 October 2008:  Nakheel, Dubai's master developer, has today broken ground on its first joint-venture project with Bharat Hotels Limited Group.  The five-star development, The Grand Fort Dubai, at Al Furjan, will be owned by Cavern Hotel and Resorts, the newly formed joint-venture company.  The hotel will be architecturally inspired by the royal palaces and forts from the beautiful region of Rajasthan in India.

Nakheel and Bharat Hotels Limited will be equal partners in the venture which is set to become a prominent landmark - perched on a hilltop at the heart of Nakheel's Al Furjan development.  The 293 room hotel is scheduled for completion in 2010 and will feature a spa, business and conference facilities, extensive landscaped gardens, restaurants and retail outlets.  The hotel's design and construction will meet LEED certification requirements. 



Aerial View of The Grand Fort Hotel.

Ms Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and Managing Director of Bharat Hotels commented:

"We are delighted to break ground for The Grand Fort Dubai and are indeed privileged to be partnering with Nakheel. This ideal partnership blends Nakheel's excellent local knowledge and expertise in the development sector with our proven success in the hospitality industry. Through The Grand Fort Dubai, we will be able to showcase the unique blend of Indian hospitality with the best of contemporary international style. This new hotel will be a proud addition to our fabulous bouquet of hotels in key Indian and international cities - all destinations in themselves."

H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World remarked:

"Dubai World, one of the world's largest holding companies, understands the importance of working with the best partners. Our association with Bharat Hotels reflects the high level of quality partnerships we seek in developing world class projects, like the Grand Fort Hotel, that make Dubai a top global destination."

Yousuf Kazim General Manager of Cavern Hotels and Managing Director of Nakheel Joint Ventures added:

"Today marks an important step forward for The Grand Fort Hotel with the breaking of ground at the site.  This is Bharat Hotels' entry point into the Middle East and they bring with them a trusted and impressive track record.  We are delighted to be able to work with them on such a landmark project, which is going to take on a prominent position within the Al Furjan development."     

The Grand Fort Hotel is set to become the best non-beach front property in Dubai and has been designed as a celebration of the Indo-Sarcenic style which is reminiscent of the great forts of Rajasthan.  Surrounded by a Fort Wall, the hotel will be adorned with terraces, embattlements, domes, balconies and carved archways.  Conceptualised as a citadel the hotel will have an outer public area and an inner sanctum for guests.  The centre of the hotel will feature lush palm gardens and an extensive lagoon with restaurants and relaxation areas.

Al Furjan is a contemporary and distinctly family oriented community, capturing the principles of traditional neighbourhood living, combining spacious villas and terraced housing with abundant open spaces and a multitude of amenities.  Set in 560 hectares south of Ibn Battuta Mall and adjacent to Discovery Gardens and The Gardens, Al Furjan will boast over 4,000 homes. Combined with apartments, hotels and commercial & mixed use plots in the developments surrounding Al Furjan, this will result in a day-time population of approximately 90,000 people.

-Ends-

About Nakheel
Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business and tourism.

Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai, and now in key markets around the globe, across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, hotels, retail, and leisure. Nakheel's projects are conservatively estimated to be worth US$80 billion. Upon completion, Nakheel's waterfront projects will have added more than 1,000km of shoreline to Dubai's coastline.

Nakheel's Dubai portfolio includes Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, The Universe, Nakheel Harbour & Tower, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City and Dragon Mart.

Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world's largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai Government across five continents and more than 100 countries.

About Bharat Hotels Limited
Bharat Hotels is a leading hotel company from India, presently offering sixteen luxurious hotels, with more than 3600 rooms in the five-star deluxe segment. Headquartered in New Delhi, the company started its first hotel in 1988 under the dynamic leadership of Founder Chairman, Mr Lalit Suri.  The company continues to grow and consolidate its leadership position under the equally dynamic stewardship of Mrs Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director.

Bharat Hotels is known for its spectacular hotels and presently has operating properties in New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Srinagar, Udaipur and Khajuraho, with under construction hotels, scheduled to open between 2009 to 2010 in Bekal (Kerala), Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, NOIDA and Koh Samui (Thailand).

Further information can be found at www.nakheelmediacentre.com

For more information please contact:
Four Communications
Greg Moore or Rebecca Leach
Four Communications
Nakheel@fourcommunications.com
tel: +971 55 985 3375/77

Nakheel
Lashley Pulsipher,
Senior PR & Communications Executive
+971 4 375 3797 / +971 (0)50 658 2052
lashley.pulsipher@nakheel.com

© Press Release 2008